FREDERICK, MD – As American’s take to the road this week to kick-off the 2013 holiday travel season, more drivers than ever before will be doing so in a new generation of clean diesel cars.

“For this year’s holiday road trip, drivers are taking to the road in more fuel efficient clean diesel choices than ever before; they’ve got 23 cars and SUVs and 15 pick-ups and vans to choose from. Sales of new clean diesel vehicles through September 2013 are up 9.7 percent over the same time last year, so you might say consumers are ‘gobbling them up,'” said Allen Schaeffer, the Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum, a non-profit educational group.

“Those picking new clean diesel technology will be thanking themselves because this time of year is when time, money and patience are often in short supply, and investing in new clean diesel technology puts you miles ahead of fellow car drivers in all three categories,” noted Schaeffer.

Less Filling at the Pump, Means More Time on the Road
When it comes to saving time on the road, fueling stops ultimately delay time from reaching your destination. Some cars powered by electricity won’t be able to take a long road trip at all because the destination is “out of range” requiring a fueling stop-over or lengthy plug in. Because of the 20-40 percent fuel efficiency advantage of diesel over gasoline, drivers of clean diesel cars extol the virtues of driving range compared to their gasoline counterparts, which often exceeds manufacturer’s ratings in their real world driving experience.

“According to the US Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, (EIA) diesel fuel prices across the country are down by more than 15 cents a gallon over last year. With diesel’s 20 to 40 percent higher efficiency and mileage over regular gasoline cars, lower lifetime fuel cost of along with higher resale values, recent research suggests that diesel car ownership saves more in the long run, making more dollars available for Black Friday shopping as well,” noted Schaeffer.

“Even though some of the new clean diesel vehicles will average more than 40 miles per gallon and get more than 700 miles per tank, still drivers will have to fuel up some time and we want to make sure that finding diesel fuel is quick and easy for all drivers,” said Schaeffer.

“With more than half of all retail fuel sites in the U.S. offering diesel fuel – and more coming each day – these fuel locator services help drivers find diesel refueling stations along the way or in their immediate location and some will even show the best available prices. With some diesel cars having ranges of well over 700 miles on a single tank full of fuel, you’ll be stopping for reasons other than fueling up!” said Schaeffer.

“A new study by the Fuels Institute shows that diesel-powered vehicles are expected to see strong growth in the light-duty vehicle (LDV) market, growing from 2.0 percent of all LDVs in 2012 to as much as 17.8 percent of the LDV fleet in 2023. This surge in market share will be led by the sales of a larger number of new vehicles hitting the market. In addition, the new federal fuel efficiency standards that will require a 54.5 mpg average by 2025 will also boost clean diesel auto sales. This new sales information illustrates that Americans are not only accepting but embracing alternative fuel and new technology vehicles in record numbers,” said Schaeffer.

“Based on what we know right now, the choices are expected to grow. Coming in the next two years are even more new choices for consumers in light trucks and SUVs (Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevrolet Colorado, Chrysler Dakota, Nissan Titan (Cummins), Ford Transit) and passenger cars including the Audi A3 TDI, Audi A4 TDI, Mazda SKYACTIV-D,” noted Schaeffer.

“With more choices today than ever before, the new generation of clean diesel cars doesn’t force drivers to lose their patience worrying about the best choice of vehicle – compromising on fuel economy, size or performance or concerns about long-term ownership issues and resale value. You’ll be able to haul all the family, the gear, the presents and even the dog on whatever road trip with the confidence and reliability of new clean diesel technology, and that’s a touchdown on Thanksgiving day or any day,” noted Schaeffer.